WebP images are 25-35% smaller than JPG and PNG while maintaining identical visual quality. For WordPress sites, this means faster page loads, better Core Web Vitals scores, and improved SEO rankings.
WordPress has supported WebP uploads natively since version 5.8. Simply upload WebP images through the media library. For automated conversion, plugins like ShortPixel, Imagify, or EWWW Image Optimizer can convert existing images to WebP on the fly.
Use the HTML picture element to serve WebP with PNG/JPG fallbacks for maximum compatibility. Most WordPress optimization plugins handle this automatically. Your CDN may also offer automatic WebP conversion.